False Sense of Security
by Lori2279
Summary: Life is good for the moment. A Sequel To Gone Completed 126.
1. Chapter 1

Title: False Sense of Security  
  
Author: Lori & Patti- soap_queen@hotmail.com;PattiL61@aol.com Classification: AU/Romance(eventually)  
  
Disclaimer: We own nothing. Nada. Zippo. Less then zippo.  
  
Distribution: FF.net and http://www.geocities.com/jersey_girl1/gonemenu.html. Anyone else ask.  
  
A/N: We just saw the episodes where Bobby dies again so we really miss Bobby.  
  
Feedback: Feedback is good.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Former NYPD Police Officer Anthony (Tony) Montanero lay on the gurney in the sick bay of Riker's waiting for the doctor to check him over. He'd been in here numerous times, but still he'd refused any special treatment. He'd been offered segregation because he'd been a police officer. The Warden told him upon his arrival that the other inmates would inevitably find out that he was an ex-cop and that they'd make him pay for it. But, Tony figured that it would only help him when it came time for his parole hearing - if he survived until then. He'd been at Riker's since his sentencing three years before for the beating of Brooke, his girlfriend and fellow NYPD Officer; the kidnapping of his daughter Abby after nearly beating his ex-girlfriend, Melanie Zambrano to death; and the arson of the Caffey residence.  
  
He'd made sure to be on his best behavior, figuring that it, coupled with his numerous attacks while in prison, would play on the sympathy of the people deciding his parole fate. He'd played along with his counseling sessions and had the prison psychiatrist totally convinced that he was truly sorry for his actions and was a changed man. The psychiatrist had noted in his reports that Tony's erratic and violent behavior was a direct result from the stress of his job as a police officer. He'd shown the doctor the letter he'd written to Melanie and the Zambrano family apologizing for his actions and his promise that nothing like that would ever happen again, along with his promise never to try to contact anyone, including Abby, if and when he was released from prison. He stated how he understood that it would cause them nothing but more problems and he didn't want to do that. The doctor approved of the letter, feeling that it showed sincere regret for his actions and that he was well on the road to recovery.  
  
And now, here he was, waiting for the doctor to come back and finish sewing up his newest stab wound, courtesy of one of the scumbags on his cell block. This was, he'd admitted to himself, almost too close though. Luckily, his parole hearing was only a few days away, because next time one of the inmates might actually succeed in facilitating his demise. This time he'd inflicted further damage to his stab wound and waited just long enough to summon help that he'd heard the guards responding to his calls just before he'd passed out from the blood loss.  
  
He heard the doctor coming back into the room and pretended to be asleep. He heard the doctor telling the nurse that he was admitting him to the infirmary for a few days due to the severity of the injury. "I talked with the Warden, and since his parole hearing is only two days away, he wants him kept here until his hearing," the doctor explained to the nurse. "He thinks that with the psychiatrists report and his good behavior, he'll probably be granted parole."  
  
Tony tried to keep the smile off his face as the nurse called for some orderlies and prepared to move him to the hospital ward of the hospital.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Kim, Jimmy and Catherine were all waiting outside of the delivery room for word from Bobby. Melanie had been in hard labor for about eight hours and Bobby had called them and said that she was close, so they all hurried down to the hospital. Kim could still hear the excitement in Bobby's voice when he'd called her. She was so happy for Bobby. He finally had a great relationship and Abby considered him her father. They'd been so lucky that Tony had agreed to sign over his rights to Abby so that Bobby could formally adopt her. And then, they'd found out that Mel was pregnant.  
  
Kim called to check on Joey and Charlie. Joey was pretty much self- sufficient now that he was 13. Charlie was 5. Emily Yokas had come over to watch the kids while Jimmy and Kim waited for the birth of their little niece or nephew. Melanie and Bobby knew what the baby was, but refused to tell anyone.  
  
"No, Emily. No news yet. How's everything going there?" Kim asked her.  
  
"Fine, Mrs. Doherty. Charlie's playing up in her room and Joey's working on some homework," Emily reported.  
  
"Okay. We shouldn't be too much longer. Can you stay a little bit more?" Kim asked hopefully. She knew that Emily had some exams coming up and if she needed to go home to the kids she would.  
  
"Sure. The kids are fine and I'm getting some studying done, so it's no problem," Emily answered.  
  
"Okay, thanks again. I'll talk to you soon, I hope," Kim said cheerfully before hanging up.  
  
"Everything okay?" Jimmy asked her.  
  
"Great! Charlie's playing and Joey's actually doing his homework without me getting on his case about it," Kimmy said in surprise.  
  
"Well, yeah. He wants to go to that dance at school Friday night," Jimmy reminded her.  
  
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I wonder who the girl is?" she said, wistfully. "It just seems like yesterday when he was running around yelling 'Girls have cooties!'" she said and they both laughed.  
  
They heard the door open and looked up to see a beaming Bobby walking toward them. In his hands was a bundle wrapped tightly in a blanket. They all stood up and looked.  
  
"Aunt Kim, Uncle Jimmy, and Grandma Catherine, I'd like to introduce you to Robert James Caffey," said Bobby with the biggest smile Kim had ever seen on him.  
  
"Oh Bobby! He's beautiful," Kim exclaimed, as Catherine was the first to get to hold him.  
  
"How's Mel?" Jimmy asked, shaking the new father's hand.  
  
"She's great. A little tired, but very happy," Bobby said. "They'll be bringing her up to her room in a little bit. Well, I gotta get this little guy back to the nursery. They gotta finish getting him settled," Bobby said, taking the baby back from Catherine and walking back toward the delivery wing.  
  
"Tell Mel that we love her and congratulations!" Jimmy said as the door closed behind Bobby and baby Robert. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-  
  
"Hey Jimmy, you almost ready? I have to drop Joey at school and then Charlie before we drop you at the house." Kim called as she buttoned up her shirt.  
  
"Right here Kim." Jimmy said as he came out of their room. "Kids all ready?"  
  
"Yeah. Give Joey lunch money, will ya?"  
  
"Sure." Jimmy dug out his wallet and handed Joey some money. "Don't spend it all in one place."  
  
"Funny Dad." Joey grinned.  
  
"Joey, you have practice after school right?"  
  
"Till five."  
  
"Okay. Get on the bus that takes you to your Grandma's okay? I'll pick you up tomorrow after school since I'm off."  
  
"You have the night shift tonight?"  
  
"Yeah." Kim pulled a brush through her hair and then picked up Charlie's little book bag. Though the little girl was only in Pre-K but she'd insisted on a backpack since her big brother got to have one. Charlie had a major case of hero worship when it came to Joey and even though he acted like he found it embarrassing, Kim and Jimmy both knew he adored his little sister.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Yeah?" Kim looked over at Joey.  
  
"When can we go see Robert?"  
  
"I think Grandma said something about taking you today after dinner. Is that okay?"  
  
"Yeah." Joey smiled.  
  
"Charlie, let's go." Jimmy called.  
  
The little girl with the dark hair and dimples of her father came running out of her room. "Ready Daddy." She said proudly.  
  
"Then let's go." Kim said as she grabbed her purse and keys.  
  
*#*#*#*#*#*#*  
  
"Anthony Montanero, it is the decision of this parole board that you be released." The man said.  
  
Tony smiled. "Thank you sir."  
  
"But if you should do anything that proves a regression, you shall be remanded to Riker's for the rest of your sentence and for the time you earn with what you have done." He cautioned.  
  
"Yes sir. I'll do my best not to."  
  
(#(#(#(#(#(#(#(  
  
"Hey Kim. I hear you're an aunt again. Congratulations." Faith Yokas said.  
  
"Thanks Faith. Where's Bosco?" Kim looked around for the cop's partner.  
  
"He's coming. He's dealing with our perp. Guy's being difficult. How's C.T.?"  
  
"Backed up. Make yourself comfortable."  
  
"So how's Bobby?"  
  
"He's thrilled. I'm surprised he hasn't been down here to show off pictures yet. Mom said she got them developed last night."  
  
"Hey guys."  
  
"Spoke to soon." Kim muttered. "Hey Bobby. Are those pictures?" She smiled.  
  
"Yes they are." He grinned proudly. "Here, Faith. Tell me what you think. Does he look like me or Mel?"  
  
"Uh. Mel." She said after looking at the picture carefully.  
  
"It's a Zambrano thing. Girls look like their father and boys look like their mother."  
  
"Not always. I think Abby looks like your mom." Faith said to Kim.  
  
"Maybe a little."  
  
"Well as long as she doesn't ever look like that S.O.B. I'm happy." Bobby said.  
  
"You and me both." 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
"Bobby, he's beautiful," said Alex as she looked at the pictures he had of the new baby. This was his first day back to work since Robert was born. As much as he liked it and Melanie hated it, it seemed inevitable that Robert James Caffey would come to be known as R.J. Caffey.  
  
She continued to look at the pictures and said, "So, how's Melanie feeling?"  
  
"She says she's great. But, I think two is a little more work than she thought it would be. We'll see what happens after today while I'm working," Bobby said, slightly worried.  
  
Jimmy slapped Bobby on the back and said, "Ah, Bobby, she'll be fine. She'll get into a routine pretty soon and she won't even remember how hard it was in the beginning. Just ask Kim."  
  
"Ask Kim what?" said Kim as she walked into the kitchen of the firehouse.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jimmy asked in surprise as he gave her a kiss. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"  
  
"Well, as a matter of fact I am supposed to be at work. But a certain someone left their stuff in the backseat of my car. You think you might need this stuff later?" she asked Jimmy, holding up his duffel bag with his change of clothes and his books in it. He had been taking a course on hazardous materials and planned on getting some studying done during the downtime between calls.  
  
Immediately, the teasing started. First with D.K., "Aw, Jimmy Wimmy, did Mommy have to bring your stuff for you?"  
  
"Did she sew your name in your underwear?" Billy Walsh continued.  
  
"Alright, alright. Everyone have a good time with that, did they?" he replied, blushing slightly while giving Kim a look that said, 'Did you have to do this in front of the guys?'  
  
"Sorry, Jimmy Wimmy. I'm off to work," Kim said with a smile as she kissed Jimmy good-bye.  
  
"Safe shift everyone!" she called over her shoulder as she left to head to work.  
  
"Bye Kim," came the reply from everyone, as Jimmy walked her out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Mom, really, you don't have to do that," Melanie said, exasperated.  
  
"Mel, don't worry about it. I want to help you. That's what I'm here for. You need to pay attention to the baby and Abby right now. And get your strength back. Now go take a nap while the kids are sleeping so you won't be so tired for those 2:00 a.m. feedings. You're breastfeeding, so those I can't help you with," Catherine Zambrano said as she continued to sort the laundry.  
  
"Remember when women used to just have their kids in the field and go right back to work?" Melanie mumbled to herself as she went back to lie down while the kids were both napping. She had to admit she was pretty exhausted.  
  
******  
  
It seemed like it had only been about ten minutes since she'd fallen asleep when she heard R.J. crying. She waited for a moment to see if he would quiet down and glanced at the clock to see that it had indeed been three hours. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Well, you're punctual. I'll give you that," she commented as she started out of the room to change him and then feed him.  
  
As soon as she was done feeding him, she carried him out to the living room to find her mother and Abby watching Sesame Street and having a snack. "Mmmm food. That's what I need," Melanie said as she walked past them toward the kitchen, stopping to put a hand on the side of Abby's face and kissing the top of her head. "How's my little girl," she said quietly in her ear.  
  
"I'm good Mommy, but you look terrible," the little girl commented and Catherine tried to stifle a laugh.  
  
"Abby, Mommy's had a hard day. Give her a break," she said as Melanie walked off to the kitchen, a tear running down her cheek. "I really hate this part," Melanie mumbled to herself, referring to her post-partum depression, as she poured herself some milk and grabbed a banana off the counter.  
  
"You're doing great," came the soft voice of her mother behind her giving her a gentle hug.  
  
And then the tears began to flow. "Mom, I look terrible. I don't think I've taken a shower since I came home from the hospital two days ago and I haven't even kissed Bobby since R.J. was born. I think he thinks I'm ugly," she said, trying to hold back her tears.  
  
"Oh, Mel. You went through this with Abby too, remember?" Catherine said, taking the baby from her. "Honey, go take a shower and relax a little. You are not ugly and Bobby doesn't think so either. You're just tired and you're body has been through a hard ordeal. Now go. I've got R.J. and Abby so don't worry. You've got at least three hours until he needs to eat again," she said, walking Melanie to the bathroom. She gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "I love you," as Melanie disappeared into the bathroom, with a weepy, "Thanks, Mom."  
  
Melanie didn't hear the phone ring as she turned on the shower. Catherine answered the phone to hear Bobby on the other end.  
  
"So, how's it going?" he asked his mother-in-law.  
  
"The usual. She feels ugly. She's tired. She's depressed," Catherine told him. "Nothing that won't pass," she added.  
  
"Should I come home?" Bobby asked her with some concern in his voice.  
  
"No, no. She'll be fine. Just give her a couple of days and help out as much as she'll let you when you're home," she explained to him. "But, Bobby. I did want to talk to you about something I saw in the mail. I didn't want to upset Mel so I set it aside. It's an envelope from the New York City Department of Corrections, Parole Division," she read off the envelope.  
  
"Open it up," Bobby said, a frown on his face.  
  
After a moment, he heard Catherine take in a breath. "What?" he asked over the phone.  
  
"It's Tony. He's out on parole, Bobby," she told him.  
  
"What?! Why weren't we notified before he got out?" Bobby almost yelled into the phone. "Is there a phone number on the letter?"  
  
Catherine gave him the number. "I'm not going to mention this to Melanie," she told Bobby.  
  
"No!" Bobby agreed. "I'm sure it's fine. Just lock the doors and be careful. I'll call the Parole Office and find out what happened." 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-  
  
"Mel, honey, Bobby does not think you're ugly." Kim said as she arranged charts at the desk and talked to Melanie at the same time. "Why hasn't he kissed you? I think it might have something to do with fear. You did threaten to castrate him and label it brain surgery if he ever came near you again."  
  
Holly, one of the other nurses, giggled at Kim's statement. "That's a good one. I'm gonna have to remember that one when I have kids."  
  
"How was he supposed to know that was the pain talking? He's never been in that situation before. He was supposed to be but I was unconscious remember?" Kim rolled her eyes. "Look, tonight when he gets home, kiss him. Don't say hello or ask how his day was, just kiss him, okay?" Kim nodded. "Yeah. Mel, I'll talk to you later. I gotta go. Bye." She hung up. The phone rang again. "Holly, do you mind?"  
  
"ER." The redhead said as she picked up the phone. "Sure. Hold on a minute." She handed the phone to Kim. "It's Jimmy."  
  
"Finally, someone I wanna talk to." She took the phone. "Hi honey."  
  
"Hey. What time are you off tonight?"  
  
"Seven. Just like always."  
  
"Can you come to the house?"  
  
"Uh sure. Joey's going to his friend's for dinner and Mom is getting Charlie from school. Everything okay?"  
  
"I just want to talk to you face to face."  
  
"This cannot be good." Kim said. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't want to have this conversation over the phone, okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Okay. I'll see you in a few hours."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Hey. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too, Kim." Jimmy said.  
  
Kim smiled faintly and hung up the phone. She had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Whatever Jimmy wanted to tell her could not be good.  
  
*#*#*#*#*#*  
  
"So she's okay?" Jimmy said into the phone. "That's great. Thanks Catherine. I'll see you later. Bye."  
  
"Charlie okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Catherine picked her up and took her right back to your place. Kim will pick her up after we talk and Joey's at his friend's house. They're studying." Jimmy folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. "What'd the guy at the Parole Office say?"  
  
"That they don't have to inform us of a possible parole only when it actually happens."  
  
"The justice system at work. I called the 2-5."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Brooke transferred to Miami about six months ago."  
  
"At least she doesn't have to worry about getting the crap beat out of her again."  
  
"This guy comes near any of member of my family and I will rip his head off."  
  
"I'll help." Bobby told him.  
  
"With what?" Alex asked.  
  
"Party for Mel. She's been feeling kinda down in the dumps lately. She doesn't think Bobby finds her attractive anymore." Jimmy lied. "Hey Alex, who's cooking tonight?"  
  
"Doc."  
  
"Tell him to make enough for Kim. She's coming here after her shift."  
  
"Sure. I'll let him know. You two okay?"  
  
The two men exchanged a look before returning their attention to the blonde.  
  
"Sure." Jimmy said.  
  
"Why?" Bobby asked.  
  
"I don't know. You just look really serious." Alex told them.  
  
"You worry too much Taylor. Go lift some weights. Get some tension out." Bobby said. "I'm gonna go shoot some hoops while we wait for our next call."  
  
"I think I'll join you. A little one on one." Jimmy said following him.  
  
Alex shook her head. She did not know how Kim and Melanie put up with those two.  
  
*#*#*#*#*#*#*  
  
Kim walked up the stairs and into the kitchen of the firehouse. It was as empty as the garage had been. She settled herself down into a seat and waited. She flipped through a magazine while she waited.  
  
"Hey Kim."  
  
She looked up. "Hey Carlos. Do you know where the company is?"  
  
"Right behind us. Car fire. One fatality unfortunately."  
  
"Hey Kim." Doc greeted. "Joining us for dinner?"  
  
"Who cooked?"  
  
"I did." The older man smiled.  
  
"Then yeah I'm joining you for dinner." Kim smiled. "Hey Walsh. Jimmy downstairs?"  
  
"Yeah. What did he forget this time?"  
  
"Nothing. I just wanna kiss my husband. Is that okay with you?"  
  
"Can we watch?" Carlos asked.  
  
"No!" Kim said as she left the kitchen and went back downstairs. "Hey good looking." She said to Jimmy as he climbed out of the truck.  
  
"Hey." He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. "Why are you still wearing scrubs?" He asked.  
  
"Too tired to change."  
  
"One of those days, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. Besides I wanted to know what was up."  
  
"You don't wanna wait till after dinner? This could make you lose your appetite."  
  
"Let's take a little walk, okay?" Kim said.  
  
"Sure." He turned back. "Hey Joe? I'll be down the street for a little while. Tell Loo."  
  
"Yeah, okay Jimmy." Joe Lombardo said.  
  
Jimmy put an arm around Kim and they walked down the street.  
  
Kim finally broke the silence. "What's going on Jimmy? You're starting to scare me."  
  
He turned so that they faced each other. "I need you to stay calm okay? This isn't easy to hear." He took her hands with his and pressed the palms against the sides of his face. "A letter came to Melanie and Bobby's today. Catherine was the first to see it and when Bobby called to check in, she told him about it. He asked her to open it."  
  
"What was in the letter? Who was it from?"  
  
"It was from the New York City Department of Corrections, Parole Division."  
  
"Oh God."  
  
"Yeah. Tony's out on parole." Jimmy said. He kept his hands on Kim's and watched her face carefully.  
  
"Does Melanie know?"  
  
"No not yet. Bobby wanted to find some things out first. He's gonna tell her tonight when he goes home. I didn't want to wait that long." He released Kim's hands and framed her face with his. "Hey. Talk to me."  
  
Kim finally looked at him. "I feel like I just got the wind knocked out of me. This is gonna kill Mel. How could this happen? Why didn't we know sooner?"  
  
"Bobby talked to the guy in the parole division and apparently they don't have to inform anyone of a possible parole just the actual event."  
  
Kim didn't say anything; she just wrapped her arms around Jimmy. "There's no chance that this is just a bad dream right?"  
  
"Sorry baby." Jimmy murmured. "But I am not gonna let him hurt you."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"I promise." 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Bobby hung the phone up hard. Jimmy came up behind him, "What'd he say?"  
  
Bobby had phoned the Prosecutor's Office trying to find out why they weren't notified that Tony was being released. It had taken the better part of the afternoon before he'd called back because he was in court all day.  
  
"He said that they tried to tell us he was getting out, but couldn't get hold of us," Bobby explained. "He called the day R.J. was born. He said he left a message on the machine for us to call him, but I don't remember seeing anything. But then again, I was so tired I probably didn't notice by the time I got home," Bobby confessed.  
  
"Yeah, and then that power outage from that lightening storm probably reset the machine so you'd never know you missed it. I'm sorry Bobby," Jimmy said to his friend.  
  
"You don't think he'll bother coming around to bother anybody do you?" Bobby asked Jimmy.  
  
"Who won't come around?" asked Carlos walking in on the conversation.  
  
"Nobody," Bobby and Jimmy said in unison.  
  
"Okay! Geez," Carlos snorted and walked out, brushing by Alex and Doc on the way.  
  
"Oh man," said Doc. "What'd he do this time?"  
  
"Walked into another conversation that's none of his business," Jimmy said.  
  
"Oh, that again," said Alex sarcastically.  
  
Doc looked at the two men as they sat staring out the window, looking glum. "So, if you don't mind MY asking, what's up? You guys have been quiet all day."  
  
Bobby looked at Jimmy and they decided that the more people that knew Tony was back on the street the better for them. Maybe if he DID decide to do something stupid, it would get noticed quicker.  
  
"Tony Montanero is out on parole," Bobby stated, looking over at Alex and Doc.  
  
"What?!" both medics said at the same time. "How the hell did that happen without you guys finding out about it?" asked Doc.  
  
Jimmy explained what happened. "Does Kim know yet?" Alex asked.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm telling Melanie when I get home tonight. I didn't want her there worrying about it without me," said Bobby. "Catherine knows though, so she'll keep an eye out."  
  
^*^^*^*^*^^**^*^^*^  
  
Bobby unlocked the door and walked into the apartment. Catherine and Melanie were sitting on the couch watching TV. Mel had just finished feeding the baby and Abby was already in bed. Catherine was trying to burp R.J. and Melanie got up and walked over to her husband. She followed Kim's advice and before Bobby could say or do anything, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.  
  
Bobby immediately returned the kiss and after a few moments, they heard Catherine clear her throat. She was standing next to them. "Excuse me," she said as she waited to get by them to go put a sleeping R.J. in his crib.  
  
"Oh, um, sorry, Catherine," Bobby said, blushing slightly.  
  
"No problem. I think you may have done something for her that I couldn't do today," she said as she looked at the smile on her daughter's face. "I'll just put R.J. down and then I'll leave you two alone," she smirked walking past them down the hallway.  
  
"Well, that was nice," Bobby said, grabbing hold of Melanie again and beginning to kiss her. He hated to have to spoil her mood, but she had to know what was going on. "What's for dinner?" he asked, breaking free and walking to the kitchen. He wanted to continue what she'd started, but he knew that the doctor said not for at least six weeks. He decided to distract himself with food and he pulled the dinner plate she'd wrapped up out of the refrigerator and put it in the microwave.  
  
Catherine had come out of R.J.'s room and was putting on her jacket and getting ready to leave. "Bobby, there's a load of clothes in the dryer in the laundry room downstairs. They should be done in about a half hour," she said, looking at her watch. "Make sure Melanie doesn't try to go get them. The doctor said no lifting yet," Catherine warned her daughter with a look.  
  
"Got it, Mom," Bobby said. "Have a good night," he called to her from the kitchen.  
  
Melanie walked her mother to the door. "I'll see you in the morning, honey," Catherine said. "Call me sooner if you need me," she offered.  
  
"Okay, Mom. And thanks for everything. Sleep in tomorrow. Bobby doesn't have to be to work until 3:00 so he'll help me. You look beat," Melanie said.  
  
The two hugged and as Catherine opened the door, Bobby called out to her, "Call us when you get in, Mom!" That surprised Melanie, but she shrugged it off.  
  
"Okay! G'night," Catherine called in to Bobby, knowing that he just wanted to make sure she made it home okay because of Tony. Bobby watched out the window as Catherine made it safely to her car and headed home.  
  
Mel walked back out to the kitchen where Bobby was eating his dinner. "So, how was your day?"  
  
"Interesting," he started and decided that the sooner he got it out the better. "Mel, sit down. I have to talk to you about something," Bobby said, causing Melanie to begin worrying before she was even seated.  
  
"What happened Bobby? Are you okay? Is everyone at the station okay?" she asked rapidly.  
  
"Just relax. Everyone's fine. It's just that," he paused. "Well, your Mom called me today while you were in taking a shower. She went through the mail pile to sort out the junk mail for you and came across an envelope," Bobby started.  
  
"An envelope from where?" Melanie said, not understanding what he was talking about. She knew that all the bills were paid up, because she made sure she'd gone through everything before she went to the hospital.  
  
"From the Department of Corrections. The Parole Division," he said, pausing to let what he was saying sink in. Suddenly, he saw the look on her face change.  
  
"And," she said cautiously.  
  
"And Tony's out on parole, Mel," he said, taking hold of her hand and feeling it begin to tremble.  
  
"Oh my God," Melanie said. "How did that happen? He's only been in for like three years!" she said, alarm in her voice.  
  
"Honey, I'm sure it's all going to be fine. I called the DA today and he told me he was released due to time served and good behavior. He tried to call us, but it was the day you had R.J. and he left a message, but it got lost. Ah, it's a long story," Bobby said, not wanting to repeat it all again. "Anyway, I'm sure he won't bother coming around here again. The DA said that according to his psychiatrist's records, Tony made a lot of progress. And you remember that letter he sent apologizing for what he did and signing off on his parental rights to Abby so that I could adopt her. That's gotta show you that he's not going to bother us, right?" Bobby said, trying to convince Melanie. "Besides, he doesn't even know where we live now."  
  
"I guess so," Melanie said, with a little bit of doubt in her voice.  
  
"Besides, we know he's out, so we'll just be careful for a while until we're sure, okay?" he said. She nodded her head and he stood up and embraced her. "C'mon," he said leading his wife down the hallway. "Let's just go to bed, turn on the TV and relax," he said.  
  
"Okay," Melanie said following him down the hallway. They stopped to check on the kids and saw that they were both safe and sound.  
  
Bobby snapped his fingers, "Damn! Almost forgot to get those clothes from the laundry room. I'll be right back. Warm up the bed for me," he said, giving her a kiss before he headed out to the door. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6-  
  
Kim had just turned off the lamp next to her bed when the phone rang. She picked it up before it could wake up Joey or Charlie. "Hello?"  
  
"Did I wake you?"  
  
She smiled. "No, not at all. What's up?"  
  
"Just called to say goodnight."  
  
She could hear the smile in Jimmy's voice as he spoke. She lay down on her side as she spoke, "Last call of the day, right?"  
  
"Exactly. Everything okay?"  
  
"All's quiet on the western front."  
  
"Did Joey say anything?"  
  
"No, but I think he knows something's not right. He hasn't come right out and said anything but I can tell. He's very perceptive."  
  
"Must get that from you."  
  
Kim laughed. "Yeah he must. Are you okay?"  
  
"I'd feel better if I was home with you guys but other then that I'm okay."  
  
"I'll see you in the morning okay?" Kim said softly.  
  
"You bet you will. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too. Night." Kim said before they hung up.  
  
  
  
Tony lay stretched out on the bed of his motel room staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day and he'd found out very little. Melanie no longer worked at the place she had when they were together, there was no listing for Caffey, and he knew going to the firehouse or the hospital was pointless. Melanie's sister would call security and her new husband would call the police if either of them saw him.  
  
But he wasn't going to let these obstacles stop him. He would have his revenge. He would make them all pay.  
  
)()()()()()()()()()()()()(  
  
"We can't find her."  
  
"What do mean you can't find her?"  
  
"She's no where. We've looked everywhere. I'm sorry Mel." Bosco looked sad.  
  
"No. There has to be somewhere you haven't looked."  
  
"She's gone Melanie."  
  
"No!"  
  
Melanie shot straight up in bed. She couldn't breathe, her skin was clammy, and her heart was going like a conga drum.  
  
"Mel?" She heard Bobby's sleepy voice as he sat up next to her. He slid an arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay?"  
  
"No. I just had a really nasty dream."  
  
Bobby kissed her temple. "It's okay."  
  
"I wanna see Abby and R.J."  
  
"Go ahead. I'll make you something to drink."  
  
"Thank you." Melanie climbed out of bed and went down the hall while Bobby went to the kitchen and poured her some iced tea. He set the glass down and sighed. He knew whatever had gone on in Mel's head couldn't be good. She'd been shaking.  
  
Bobby raked a hand through his hair. Why did he get the nastiest feeling that this was just the beginning of the nightmares? 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Tony decided to go by Catherine Zambrano's house. He figured that everyone else had moved so the likelihood of her still being there was slim. He was surprised to find that she did indeed still live there.  
  
"Now I just have to decide how I'm going to handle this," he thought to himself as he slowly cruised past. "Do I just wait for one of them to show up and follow them home, or should I approach Catherine?" he wondered. He had thought about it in jail and wasn't sure if she'd believe him if he said he just wanted to see how his daughter was. But then again, he knew that Catherine had never seen him be anything but good with Abby. Besides, it wasn't Abby that he was after. It was that bitch Melanie and her meddling sister Kim he really wanted to exact his revenge on. And if Bobby and Jimmy Doherty got in the way, well then so be it. Abby was a good girl that just happened to have been born to a witch.  
  
He glanced in his rearview mirror and recognized Catherine walking up the sidewalk, a bag of groceries in her arms. She stopped on the sidewalk to talk to one of her neighbors up on their porch, not noticing the car idling at the curb just down from her. The window was open so he could make out bits and pieces of the conversation. He was hoping he could pick up some indication of the whereabouts of Kim or Melanie.  
  
"Everyone's fine Mrs. Anderson. The baby's gorgeous and Mel's feeling fine," he heard her call up to the neighbor. He couldn't hear what the neighbor was saying because she was too far away from him, so he only got one side of the conversation. Luckily it was the informative side.  
  
"Yes, Bobby went back to work, but he's close enough that he can walk over to see them whenever he wants," she answered. "Gotta run! I've got ice cream so I have to get it into the freezer," she called, waving as she turned to continue on to her house.  
  
"Hmmm, close enough that he can walk home while he's working, eh?" Tony thought to himself. This was going to be easier than he thought apparently. He watched as Catherine continued past his car, oblivious to his presence. She walked up to the door, unlocked it and closed the door behind her, never glancing over her shoulder.  
  
Tony slowly pulled away so as not to draw attention to himself and headed toward the firehouse. He drove slowly by and noticed that the ambulance was out on a call, as was the fire department. He pondered going into the empty station from the back door and seeing if he could find any indications as to where Melanie and Kim lived.  
  
Before he realized it, he found himself walking in through the back door of the station, listening for any signs of someone being there. He glanced at his watch and realized that it wasn't change of shift so no one should be there since all the vehicles were obviously on a call. He meandered through the house until he found the Captain's office. He looked through the file cabinets until he came to the personnel files. He flipped through them until he found the two he wanted - Roberto Caffey and James Doherty. He pulled the files out, tucking them under his coat and quickly walked out of the firehouse as he heard the company call back in service on the overhead speaker. They'd be back in minutes and he intended to be long gone.  
  
As he made his way back to his car, he heard a familiar voice. It was a parent calling a child and he listened again. He heard Melanie calling, "Abby, honey, time for dinner. Come on in. You can play with Kelly tomorrow."  
  
He listened and realized what direction the voice was coming from and glanced over his shoulder. He saw his Abby running toward Melanie who was wheeling a baby carriage. "Aw, how sweet," he sneered under his breath as he continued to walk away from them toward his car. It was all he could do to keep walking when he heard Abby call back, "But, Mom. I'm waiting for Daddy to come back with the ambulance!"  
  
"He'll stop over before you go to bed, honey. He always does," Melanie called back and then noticed a chill run down her spine. She looked around and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.  
  
"You're being paranoid again, Mel," she said to herself. "He's not coming back here," she reassured herself.  
  
Tony watched from his car as Abby ran up the sidewalk and into the house at 450 Arthur. "She called him Daddy! I'm her father," Tony yelled to himself from inside his car. 


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8-  
  
"Hey Lombardo, how's that arm feel?" Kim asked as she adjusted his IV.  
  
"Its felt better." He said with a grin. "How's everyone else?"  
  
"Nothing major. A little smoke inhalation and a few minor burns. You were all pretty lucky."  
  
"Tell me about it. Is Linda here?"  
  
"Yeah I think I saw her out there. You want me to bring her back?"  
  
"Could you? Thanks Kim."  
  
"Sure." Kim smiled and went out into the crowded ER. "Linda," she called when she spotted the blonde.  
  
Linda Lombardo stood up when she saw Kim walking towards her. "Is Joe alright?"  
  
"He's fine. He wants to see you."  
  
"Thank God."  
  
"C'mon." Kim led her back and left her and Joe alone before heading back out to the front. "Hey Doc." She said the paramedic at the desk.  
  
"Hey Kim. They keeping you busy down here?"  
  
"Always."  
  
"If you ever wanna come back to the squad you let me know." Doc said with a grin.  
  
"Thanks Doc, I'll keep that in mind." Kim smiled. "Have you seen Jimmy?"  
  
"Over there talking to Taylor." He nodded.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Hey Kim." He said before she walked away.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Jimmy and Bobby told me what happened. If you need anything, even if it's for me to take Joey and Charlie for a night so he doesn't know where they are, let me know."  
  
"Thanks Doc. I appreciate it." Kim said quietly. "I'll keep the offer in mind."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Hey Doc? They want us back at the scene. There are still some kids out there." Carlos said. "Hey Kim."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"See you later." Doc said as he and Carlos left.  
  
Kim headed back over to Taylor and Jimmy. "Hey."  
  
"Hey." Jimmy kissed her. "How's Joe?"  
  
"He's fine. You were all pretty lucky. Someone check you out?" She asked, peering at him.  
  
"Yeah. Alex looked me over. I'm fine."  
  
"Good." Kim said.  
  
"I'm gonna go see where Bobby is." Alex said.  
  
"Okay."  
  
The blonde walked away while Jimmy put an arm around Kim's waist. "So, how are you doing?"  
  
"I call Mom every half hour now that Abby's home from school. I think I'm getting on her nerves."  
  
"I'm better. I call every forty-five minutes." Jimmy confessed.  
  
"Part of me just wants to go home and lock us all in the apartment till he screws up and they toss him back in jail."  
  
"We can't let this guy control us Kimmy."  
  
"I know. I just wish he weren't walking free."  
  
"I know. Me neither."  
  
*#*#*#*#*#*#*  
  
"Hey Cap. You wanted to see me?" Bobby stuck his head into the office later that day around the end of his shift.  
  
"Yeah. C'mon in Bobby." The captain was frowning.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"Have you seen your personnel file?"  
  
"Uh, should I have?"  
  
"I can't find it. I went to get it to put your new insurance stuff in there and it wasn't there."  
  
"I don't have it."  
  
"Damn. I do not like this." He frowned.  
  
Bobby closed the door. "Cap, there's something you should know."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Tony Montanero is out on parole."  
  
"The guy who beat Melanie up?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I knew I should have gotten the locks fixed. Alright, I'll get started on a new file for you and I'll ask someone over at the cop shop to keep an eye on the place in case Tony does have your file and tries to return it. In the meantime you might want to call your wife and make sure she's got everything locked down at your house."  
  
"Right. Thanks Cap."  
  
"Bobby?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Be careful."  
  
"Always." 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
Tony watched as the little girl played in the front yard of her grandmother's house. So, Kim and Jimmy had another kid. "The kid looks just like her father," thought Tony to himself as he looked at the girl's dark hair and dimples. Catherine was sitting on the steps watching her play. He looked around to see where Joey was, but never saw him.  
  
He saw his opportunity as the ball that Charlie was playing with rolled over to the gate, which happened to be open. Unfortunately, the ball didn't roll out, but stopped just at the opening. He walked down the sidewalk toward the gate as Charlie reached for the ball. He bent down to the pick up the ball, as if he were going to hand it back to her. Catherine was immediately up off the steps and practically running toward Charlie.  
  
"Charlie, honey. Come back by Grandma. I'll get the ball for you," she said, reaching the child at the same time that Tony reached out to grab the little girl's hand.  
  
"Hey!" yelled Catherine as she reached to put an arm around Charlie and pull her back behind her. But, before she could do it, Tony looked up from under the brim of the baseball cap he was wearing down low over his eyes. Tony enjoyed the look of recognition, then fear, that crossed Catherine's face just before the blow from the butt of his gun that rendered her unconscious. Luckily, she fell to the side and was partially hidden by the shrubs that grew along the inside of the fence. He quickly scooped up the little girl and turned and calmly headed back to his car. He had placed her in the car and was away before Charlie realized that Catherine wasn't coming with them and she was in danger.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
The clerk answered the phone at the front desk of the ER and said, "Hold on. She's with a patient. I'll tell her she has a call."  
  
After a moment or two, Kim returned to get the patient's chart and the clerk told her she had a call on Line 1.  
  
"Hello. This is Kim Zambrano," she said, thinking that it was probably just Jimmy or her mother checking in.  
  
"I have Charlie. If you want to see her again, you should hang up the phone immediately and walk out of the ER toward 121st," came the voice on the other end of the phone. The blood immediately ran cold through Kim and for a moment she couldn't speak.  
  
Finally, she found her voice, "Who is this? What have you done with Charlie?" she whispered desperately into the phone. She used the pen in her hand to write down "121st - phone - Charlie."  
  
"All in good time. Just hang up the phone and walk out the door and head toward 121st to the phone booth on the corner. You have four minutes. I'm watching you, so make sure you don't talk to or call anyone. Do it now," ordered the voice and then the line went dead.  
  
Kim hung up the phone with trembling hands. She put her stethoscope on the patient's chart that she had written the information and turned and walked out the door as the clerk looked at her oddly. "Now, where could she be going?" the girl thought as she looked around the packed ER. Her thoughts were interrupted by the call of another ambulance on the med radio.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Kim walked out the door of the ER and toward 121st Street as she was instructed. She didn't have her purse or coat, so she had no cell phone or money to make a phone call should she need to. "How will Jimmy know?" she thought to herself, suddenly starting to panic. "Stay calm, Kim. Charlie needs you to stay calm," she told herself, looking around cautiously.  
  
She saw a car parked at the phone booth at 121st and River Street and continued to the phone as instructed. She glanced inside the car and saw her daughter smiling back at her. She opened the door to the car, intending to grab the child, but was struck from behind and felt her world go black as she heard Charlie say, "Mommy?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joey came walking up the street with his friend Marty's father. Catherine had agreed to let Joey go to Marty's after school as long as an adult could walk him home. Joey came up to the gate and started to walk through when Marty's father noticed Catherine off to his right, lying against the bushes. He put a hand on Joey's shoulder and told him to go into the house and call 9-1-1 and to wait inside until the police and ambulance arrived.  
  
Joey looked at his unconscious grandmother, with blood on the side of her head, and hurried inside to dial 9-1-1. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10-  
  
"Wait here."  
  
"Bos, I can handle telling Jimmy."  
  
"I know but I want you to talk to Bobby and Mel." Bosco nodded down the street where Bobby and Melanie were standing.  
  
"Right." Faith nodded. "See you in a few."  
  
"Yeah." Bosco headed into the firehouse. He could hear the bouncing of the basketball coming from the back and took a shot that it was Jimmy. It was. "Hey Jimmy."  
  
He turned. "Hey Bosco. What's up? I park the car in your space?"  
  
"No. Doc and Carlos just took a call."  
  
"I know. I saw them leave."  
  
"But you don't know where it was?"  
  
"Nah. I was just getting in when they got called out."  
  
"Jimmy, it was your mother-in-law's place."  
  
Jimmy turned around. "What? What happened? Charlie's there. Is she okay?"  
  
"Somebody hit Catherine with a blunt object. We're not sure what it was."  
  
"What about Charlie?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"She wasn't there. She didn't come out of a hiding space when any of us called for her."  
  
"What about Joey?"  
  
"He's fine. Sully and Davis are bringing him back right now."  
  
"I gotta call Kim."  
  
"Jimmy."  
  
"What?" He stopped and stared at Bosco.  
  
"Kim's missing too."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We went down to the ER to talk to her when we realized who it was that Doc and Carlos were patching up. The clerk said she'd gotten a phone call and then left."  
  
"Do Melanie and Bobby know yet?"  
  
"Faith's down the street talking to them."  
  
"Who found Catherine?"  
  
"Joey's friend's dad. He was walking him back to your Catherine's and they found her in the yard. The reason no one had found her sooner is because she was hidden by a bush."  
  
Jimmy nodded.  
  
"Jimmy, I hate to ask but is there anyone you can think of-"  
  
"Tony Montanero is out on parole Bosco."  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"A few days at least. It's a long story. He is also suspected of stealing Bobby's personnel file."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Personal property. Or would that be considered government property? Anyway it's theft. We can run him in on that. When we do, we'll see if maybe he knows where your wife and daughter are."  
  
"Thanks Bosco."  
  
"You got it."  
  
"Dad!" Joey came running into the firehouse.  
  
"Joey." Jimmy sighed with relief. "Thank God." He wrapped his arms around his son. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Dad, Grandma's hurt." He said.  
  
"I know. I know."  
  
"Where's Mom?" Joey asked. "She wasn't at work."  
  
"I don't know. I don't know where Mom is. I don't know where Charlie is either. But you know what? We're gonna find them and bring 'em home okay?"  
  
Joey nodded. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
Kim felt herself regaining her senses. She heard the sound of Charlie next to her.  
  
"Mommy, wake up," Charlie pleaded, tapping Kim on the shoulder. "Mommy, please," she continued as she looked across the room at the man sitting in the chair in the corner. He kept staring at her. She didn't know who he was, but she didn't like him. He hit her Grandma.  
  
Kim was finally able to open her eyes. She reached out for her daughter and brought her closer to her. "Charlie! Are you okay, honey?" she asked, turning toward her and looking her over for any signs of injury.  
  
She jumped at the sound of the voice coming from across the room. "She's fine. I didn't touch her," Tony said in an evil tone.  
  
Kim started to sit up and then realized that one arm was cuffed to the bed, preventing her from sitting up all the way. She automatically pulled against the restraint as she looked to see if Charlie was restrained also. She wasn't. But, she knew that Charlie wouldn't leave her side when she was scared.  
  
"What do you want, Tony?" Kim asked him, trying to see him in the dark. "What have you done with my mother?"  
  
He didn't answer right away and Charlie said, "The bad man hit Grandma. She fell down."  
  
"What? Did you hit my mother, Tony? Why?" Kim asked again, getting angry. "Is she okay?"  
  
"She'll be fine. I didn't hit her that hard. Relax. The kid's over reacting," Tony said, downplaying what he'd done. "As for 'why,'" he said. "Well, someone has to pay for the years you took away from me. The years and my career," he sneered.  
  
"You took those away from yourself when you almost killed my sister and Brooke, and burned down Bobby's mother's house," Kim said angrily. "Now undo these cuffs and let me take my daughter home."  
  
"I don't think so, Kim. You see, you're the one that came back from God knows where and stuck your nose in where it didn't belong. You are the one that sent the cops after me - after one of their own - and I lost everything. EVERYTHING!" he yelled, causing Charlie to start crying as she moved behind her mother on the bed.  
  
"It's okay, baby," Kim said, trying to soothe her daughter. "Tony, you're scaring her. Please, just let me go and I won't tell anyone where you are. You can leave and start over somewhere else," she tried to reason.  
  
He didn't speak, just sat in the shadows, staring at her, trying to figure out his next move. He looked at his watch. They were sure to be out looking for Kim and Charlie by now. They had to figure that since they couldn't find him, he must have been the one to take them. He had to make plans to get away. The question was, should he take them with him, or finish it right here. He'd certainly be able to travel a lot easier without them, but where and how to get rid of them - that was the problem.  
  
He suddenly realized that the bitch was talking again. "Don't you ever shut up?!" he said crossly to her, starting Charlie crying again. "And shut that brat up!" he finished, standing up and walking over to the curtains of the run down room of the low-rent motel.  
  
Kim tried to comfort Charlie to stop her crying and prevent further agitation of Tony. "I'm sorry. She's just scared and probably hungry. Do you have to go potty?" Kim asked her daughter.  
  
Her daughter's eyes filled with tears again as she whispered, "I already did," her face full of shame.  
  
Kim brought her closer. "Honey, it's okay. It's not your fault. Really. It's okay."  
  
"Can I take her into the bathroom and clean her up, please?" she asked Tony nicely. He just stared at her for a moment. He walked over to the bathroom and looked around to see if there was anything in there that Kim might use as a weapon against him. He reached in and took the glass off the vanity and motioned her in.  
  
"Make it quick. And don't do anything stupid," he warned her.  
  
"Thank you," Kim said as she led her daughter past the angry man and into the bathroom. She started to close the door, but he stopped her.  
  
"No way. The door stays open," he said.  
  
"Honey, we have to leave the door open," Kim tried to explain as she reached to the towel rack and took a washcloth and towel off.  
  
"No, Mommy. I don't want the mean man to see," Charlie said, beginning to whine a little.  
  
"Shut her up. I'm warning you," he said, moving closer to the bathroom. Kim noticed the gun stuck in his belt just inside his shirt.  
  
"I'm trying. Look she's tired, scared and probably hungry. Just let me close the door and get her cleaned up. Then she'll probably relax a little and fall asleep. You'll have some peace and quiet," Kim said, trying to convince him to let her close the door.  
  
He thought for a moment, again looking around the bathroom. There was a small window up high above the shower stall, but there was no way that Kim would be able to fit through it. Finally he gave in.  
  
"Okay. You have five minutes. If you're not done, too bad. And don't try anything stupid," he said, moving his shirt aside to make sure she saw the weapon along his waist.  
  
She looked at the gun and then back at Tony. "I promise. I won't try anything." She ran the water to get it warm and then slowly closed the door. She hugged her daughter again and began washing her up. She whispered in her ear that she be very quiet.  
  
She looked up at the window. She didn't know what to do, but she knew she had to get Charlie out of here. She reached up and unlatched the window and opened it slowly, hoping that the old window wouldn't squeak. She looked around outside the window and saw the lights of an all-night gas station just down the side of the building. She looked back at her daughter and made a decision to take a chance.  
  
She got down and heard Tony's voice on the other side of the door. "Time's up!" he yelled through the door. Kim was just finishing up cleaning Charlie up and forming her plan in her head. But, was she brave enough to put it into action?  
  
"Tony, please, just a couple more minutes. She had to go again and I'm just starting to clean her up now. I promise, just a couple of minutes," she said, praying that he'd give in and believe her.  
  
"Okay, but only five more minutes," he conceded and Kim let out the breath that she was holding.  
  
"Charlie, honey. I need you to be a brave little girl for Mommy. I can't fit through that window, but you can. Honey, I'm going to lower you out of the window and I want you to run to the building with all the pretty lights on it. Go to the person that's inside and ask them to call the police. Tell them that a bad man has your Mommy and that you need the police," she said to her daughter. She didn't really want her out of her sight, but at least she'd be away from this maniac and hopefully to a better, safer place.  
  
"No, Mommy. I don't want to go without you. What if the bad man hurts you again?" she said to her mother.  
  
"Charlie, you need to go there and tell them to call the police. The police will bring your Daddy with them and he'll save us," she said, trying to play on her daughter's adoration and love for her father. "But, you have to hurry," she said, rushing her but trying not to.  
  
"Okay. I'll try," she said. Kim hugged her daughter and brought her over to the window. She put her up to the window and said, "See the building that I'm talking about?" Charlie nodded her head up and down.  
  
"Okay, big girl. Go bring Daddy back for Mommy. I love you, Charlie. Always," she said, giving the girl a squeeze and lowering her out the window. "Run baby. Run all the way and don't stop until you get to the person inside the store," she encouraged her and watched her run down the walk.  
  
She was startled by the sound of the door being thrown open and turned quickly to see Tony standing behind her, gun in hand, with a vicious look on his face. "Please let her make it to the store safely," she prayed to herself.  
  
"You lying bitch! You're no better than that sister of your's," he said angrily, grabbing Kim by the arm and throwing her out of the bathroom and onto the bed.  
  
"Well, I'll just have to teach you a lesson," he threatened as he walked over toward her, the anger on his face growing.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Charlie ran all the way to the store, just like Kim had told her to. She looked back at the window she just left and thought she heard her mother's voice. She stepped up to the door and the automatic door opened up. She walked inside the store and up to the young man behind the register.  
  
"Well, hello there. Where's your Mommy or Daddy?" he asked, looking around the store. He didn't see a car out at the gas pump and couldn't for the life of him figure where the little girl came from. But, he did notice that she looked frightened. "Are you okay?" he asked her.  
  
"Mommy put me out the window and told me to come here and call the policeman. A bad man has my Mommy and the policeman has to bring my Daddy to save her," Charlie explained.  
  
The man didn't take his eyes off the little girl. He walked over to the automatic door and locked it. He returned to Charlie, took her hand and brought her around behind the counter with him, out of sight from anyone that may be lurking outside. "You stay right here next to me," he said to her. He picked up the phone and dialed 911. 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter12-  
  
"Joey asleep?" Alex asked Jimmy when her friend appeared in the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah he nodded off a little while ago. I stayed till I was sure he was asleep."  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Scared." Jimmy said quietly. "Where's Bobby?"  
  
"Downstairs. Mel, Abby, and R.J. are here too."  
  
"Did he call the hospital?"  
  
"Catherine has a minor concussion but she'll be fine." Alex told him. "Jimmy, can I do anything?"  
  
"No. Thanks Alex but no."  
  
"Okay. I'm gonna go and see what Carlos is planning for dinner. If it's inedible, I'll order pizza."  
  
Jimmy nodded. "I think I'll go back upstairs."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Jimmy headed back upstairs and smiled at Joey, who was still asleep in a bunk. Jimmy quietly opened the closet door next to his bed and stopped when he saw the bear in a Cubs T-shirt on the shelf. He smiled a little. Before Kim, Joey, Charlie, and Bobby had moved back to New York Kim had insisted on Chicago memorabilia. She'd bought T-shirts, posters, and even a pennant. The teddy bear Jimmy was currently looking at was one of four. Kim's was in her locker at work and it wore a White Sox T-shirt. Joey had one with a Bulls shirt on it and Charlie had a bear holding a hockey stick and wearing a Black Hawks shirt.  
  
The guys teased him sometimes that his wife had gone over to the other side and was now trying to take Joey, Charlie, and him with her but it was all in fun.  
  
Of course they didn't know that Kim slept in a Bears jersey.  
  
He looked at the door. There were pictures taped up of him and Kim and the kids. The one at the top was from the party they'd had when they'd gotten married again. It was of just the two of them and neither had known the picture was being taken. He wasn't sure who had taken it but he loved the picture. He loved the woman in the picture.  
  
*#*#*#*#*#*#*  
  
"Sweetie, can you tell us your name?" A paramedic from the 6-5 asked Charlie.  
  
"Charlie. Are you a p'medic?"  
  
"A paramedic? Yes I am."  
  
"My uncle Bobby's a paramedic. My mom used to be one but now she's a nurse."  
  
"Where's your mom a nurse at?"  
  
"Mercy."  
  
"She must mean Angels of Mercy." The clerk said quietly.  
  
Two cops entered the store. "Excuse me sir? We're looking for a little girl and her mom. They were reported missing a few hours ago and the police suspect foul play. Can we hang this up?" He showed them a missing poster.  
  
"Yeah sure. I'm glad you're here. I-" He took a good look at the poster. "I just found your missing little girl."  
  
"What?"  
  
The shopkeeper nodded to the little girl the paramedics were talking to. "Charlotte Doherty?" He said.  
  
Charlie looked up. "Am I in trouble? I only get called Charlotte when I'm in trouble."  
  
"No, you're not in trouble. We just wanted to make sure this was you." He pointed to a picture of her.  
  
"Doherty." The medic said to herself. "Charlie, is your daddy a firefighter?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Can I use your phone?"  
  
"Be my guest."  
  
*#*#*#*#*#*  
  
"Station fifty-five." Billy Walsh said.  
  
"Is Jimmy Doherty there?"  
  
"Sure." He put the phone down. "Hey Jimmy? Phone."  
  
"Thanks man." Jimmy picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Jimmy Doherty?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I have someone here who wants to say hello."  
  
Jimmy furrowed his brow but then smiled when he heard, "Hi Daddy." 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
Jimmy sat down in the chair next to the phone. "Could it be? Could it really be Charlie?"  
  
"Charlie, honey? Is that you?" he asked into the phone as Billy and Alex came walking toward him.  
  
"Yes, Daddy. I'm with a p'medic like Uncle Bobby," she said cheerfully. "Mommy told me to have the man call 911 so that you would come and save me and Mommy. Are you going to come save Mommy now, Daddy?" She asked him.  
  
"Yes, honey. I'm on my way. Put the man on the phone so I can find out where you are," he said, looking at his friends with a big smile on his face. "Where are you?" he said to the paramedic into the phone. Jimmy listened as the paramedic described the situation. "I'm on my way," he said quickly hanging up the phone.  
  
"Well?" asked Alex when Jimmy had hung up the phone. She followed him to his locker as he told her about what was going on. Billy had gone to let the Captain know that Jimmy had to leave so that they'd call in a replacement.  
  
"They haven't found Kim yet, but Charlie told them she is at the motel behind the gas station she went to. Apparently, Kim put her out a window and sent her to the gas station to get help. She wants me to come save her Mommy," Jimmy said, looking up at Alex as they reached the door. Jimmy turned when he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"Well, then let's go save her Mommy," Bosco said. Jimmy turned and saw Faith and Bosco standing near the door, their RMP running outside. "We just got the call from 65th Precinct. They're waiting for us," Faith said as the three got into the police car and sped off.  
  
"I gotta tell Mel and Bobby," Jimmy thought suddenly. Faith handed Jimmy her cell phone to use.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Tony grabbed Kim and threw her against the wall. She struck her head and was dazed for a moment, but was able to regain her senses.  
  
"You stupid bitch!" he screamed at her. "You think you're so smart! Well, it wasn't your little brat that I wanted to hurt anyway. I just used her to get to you," he said spitefully.  
  
"Well, you've got me. Now what're you gonna do?" she spat. "The cops'll be here in a matter of minutes."  
  
"Shut up! I need to think," Tony said, beginning to pace. He looked out the window of the run down room and saw no activity yet. "You're assuming she did what you asked her to do. There's no one around out there. I don't even see the kid," he said nastily.  
  
Kim hoped that Charlie was safe. She'd always been good about following directions, but this was a lot to ask. She was out of her element. She was scared and she was told never to talk to strangers. "Please Charlie. Disobey me just this once," she urged her daughter mentally.  
  
"Get up!" Tony said, roughly grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet from the floor. She started to stumble, feeling dizzy at the sudden motion. She reached up to her scalp and felt that it was wet. She took her hand away and looked at it, seeing her blood on her fingers from when she was thrown against the wall. "No tricks. Just start walking with me," he said, yanking on her again.  
  
"I'm trying. I'm just dizzy," she said, trying to balance herself.  
  
"Shut up and start moving," he yelled again as he pulled open the door and headed in the opposite direction of the gas station, practically dragging Kim behind him. "Have to get away from here," he thought to himself, listening for police sirens in the distance. He didn't hear any. He managed to get Kim into his car and cuffed her to himself so she couldn't get away from him. He looked at her, leaning her head against the cool glass of the window, eyes closed. "Hey!" he yelled and she slowly opened her eyes. "No naps now," he said, starting up the car and heading out of the lot, past the gas station. Kim tried to look into the store to see if Charlie was there, but she only saw the clerk at the door.  
  
"Please let Charlie be okay," she thought to herself, hoping she hadn't made a mistake in sending the girl for help. But, she didn't know what else to do. She was the only one able to fit through the window and at least she wasn't around this lunatic. She fought to stay awake, although it was getting harder and harder. "I must have a concussion," she thought to herself as she felt her head begin to throb.  
  
She saw the ambulance go by with lights and siren on and managed to stay awake long enough to see it pull into the lot that they'd just pulled out of. And that was the last thing she saw as she felt herself losing consciousness. 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14-  
  
"Sure Jimmy. Yeah, just call when you've got Kim and Charlie. We'll meet you down at Mercy." Bobby said into the phone. "We'll go get Joey right now. Bye."  
  
"Bobby? Who was that?" Melanie came into the kitchen.  
  
"It was Jimmy. They found them."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Across town. Kim apparently put Charlie out of a window and told her to go to the gas station across from where they were and get help. One of the medics recognized Charlie's last name and called the house."  
  
"Oh thank God." Melanie said, relieved. "Where's Joey?"  
  
"Sleeping at the house in one of the bunks. I'm gonna go get him and then when Jimmy calls we're gonna go meet them at Mercy."  
  
"Good. That's good. I called the hospital and checked on Mom. The doctors said she has a slight concussion but that she should be okay."  
  
"See? What did I tell you? She's gonna be okay. Zambrano women have brick heads."  
  
"Haha." Melanie said dryly. Then she kissed him. "I love you, you know that?"  
  
"Yes I do. I love you too."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Daddy!" Charlie ran to her father the minute she saw him come through the door.  
  
Jimmy bent down and caught Charlie in his arms. "I'm so glad to see you. Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah but Daddy, the mean man hurt Grandma." She said, her eyes wide.  
  
"I know he did. But Grandma's okay."  
  
"Is it cause she has a brick head?" Charlie asked innocently.  
  
Jimmy fought a grin. He knew exactly where Charlie had heard that saying. "Yeah but that's between us okay?"  
  
"'Kay." She said. "Can we go get Mommy now?"  
  
"We're gonna let the police do that but we're staying right here till she comes out okay?" He smiled.  
  
Charlie nodded.  
  
~^~^~^~^~^~^~  
  
"What do you mean she's not in there?" Bosco asked the officer from the 6- 5.  
  
"We've looked in every possible place she could be and even a few that weren't possible. She may have been in there at some point but she's not now."  
  
"Dammit." Bosco said. This was followed by a string of curses that had a little old lady blushing as she passed by the congregation of police officers.  
  
"And you wonder where Charlie gets it from." Faith rolled her eyes.  
  
Bosco just shot a look at his partner. "I'll flip you for rights to tell Jimmy we don't know where his wife is."  
  
"No way. Last time I flipped a coin with you I ended up having to do something I don't want to repeat in front of people I don't know." Faith said.  
  
Bosco rolled his eyes and then headed back towards the store. He really hated this part of the job especially considering it involved a friend. 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
  
"Okay, Cap. We're on our way over right now. You can tell Maryann that we'll be there in about 10 minutes," Bobby told the Fire Captain, hanging up the phone.  
  
"Well?" Melanie asked him.  
  
"Maryann from next door to the firehouse is watching Joey in case the company has to go to a job. I told the Captain that we'd be there in about 10 minutes so let's hit the road," Bobby told her.  
  
"Thank God they found them. Did Jimmy say everyone is okay?" Melanie asked him, afraid of what Tony might do to them. After all, she experienced it first-hand.  
  
"I didn't get that far. Bosco and Faith were waiting to give them a ride over to the gas station," Bobby told her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Bosco? What's going on?" Jimmy asked as he noticed the look on his friend's face. He tried not to sound worried because he didn't want to worry Charlie.  
  
"Jimmy. C'mon over here for a minute. Faith will take care of Charlie - get her an ice cream," Bosco said, smiling down at the little girl.  
  
Faith brought Charlie over to pick out what kind she wanted from the freezer section of the store and Jimmy walked over to the opposite end of the store with Bosco.  
  
"I don't like the sounds of this Bos," Jimmy said, trying to make eye contact with him.  
  
Bosco looked around, sort of like he was looking for something. He was looking for the words to break the news to his friend.  
  
"Jimmy. There's a problem," he began. Jimmy started to say something, but Bosco held his hand up and continued on. "Kim isn't in the room that Charlie said she was in. They checked all the rooms of the motel and she isn't in any of them," Bosco explained, watching the look on Jimmy's face grow more worried.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about, Bosco?" Jimmy said, not understanding what he was saying.  
  
"I'm saying that somehow, in the time between Charlie making it to the store and the police being called, Tony managed to disappear - with Kim," he finished with a sorrowful look on his face.  
  
Jimmy ran a hand through his hair, unable to believe that this could get any worse. He looked across the store to his daughter who was intently licking a Popsicle as it dripped down the front of her shirt. At least SHE was safe.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Jimmy asked Bosco who had put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"The guys of the 6-5 are canvassing the neighboring rooms and area to see if anyone saw anything," Bosco explained the procedure to him. "They're good guys here, Jimmy. I know most of them and they know that you're family. They're gonna turn over every stone until they find them," he said trying to reassure himself and Jimmy at the same time.  
  
"Did the policeman bring Mommy over here yet?" asked Charlie, suddenly at Jimmy's side.  
  
"Not yet, honey. They're working on it though," he tried to explain. "Aunt Mel, Uncle Bobby and Joey will be here in a few minutes and they're gonna take you home with them until I can bring Mommy home," Jimmy said, bending down to one knee so that he was eye-level with her.  
  
"I want to wait here for Mommy," Charlie said indignantly.  
  
"I know, honey, but it may be a little while and you need to go home and have a nice warm bath and some dinner. You can help Aunt Mel and Uncle Bobby take care of Abby and R.J.," he suggested with a smile.  
  
She smiled at the thought of taking care of her new cousin and seemed happy with that arrangement. Jimmy let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Jimmy," Bosco said quietly to him. "I told the guys from 6-5 that I'd talk to Charlie to see if I can get any information that could be helpful in finding them. I figured she wouldn't be as shy with me," Bosco said.  
  
Jimmy chuckled slightly, "Charlie? Shy? You're kidding, right?" He nodded for Bosco to go ahead.  
  
Bosco sat down on the floor and motioned for Charlie to join him. She did and in the process got sticky Popsicle all over Bosco's sleeve. He winced slightly but shrugged it off. "Charlie, Daddy's gonna go talk to Officer Faith for a minute and you can stay with me, okay?"  
  
"Okay," she replied.  
  
"Great. And then you and me can talk a little bit too. Would that be okay?" he asked her.  
  
"Okay, Officer Bosco," she replied, looking up at her father.  
  
"Be right back, honey," Jimmy said, walking away and over to Faith.  
  
"So, Charlie. How are you doing? You didn't get hurt or anything, did you?" Bosco asked her, easing into the conversation. She shook her head no. "Well, that's good to hear," he said. "Can you tell me anything about what kind of car Tony was driving? You know, the color of it or if there was any dents or anything that you noticed?" he gently prodded.  
  
"It was dark brown," she said. "And it smelled like cigarettes inside," she said making a disgusted face. "Mommy and Daddy said that smoking is yucky and can make you really sick," she informed him.  
  
"That's right. It can. So, I don't ever want you to even try it, okay?" he confirmed and Charlie nodded.  
  
"So, what else can you tell me? Did Tony mention anything about where he might take you after you left this place?" he asked.  
  
"No, he just yelled at Mommy. He was pretty mad. He said that Mommy is the reason he went to jail and couldn't see Abby anymore," Charlie said. "But, my Mommy wouldn't do that," she insisted.  
  
"Nope, she wouldn't. Not unless the person was a very bad person that SHOULD be in jail," Bosco agreed with her. "So, nothing more you can tell me about the car, huh?" he asked again.  
  
"Nope, but it sure was long. And it was a lighter color brown on the roof," she added.  
  
"Okay, thanks for talking to me, Charlie. Look, I think I see your Uncle Bobby and Aunt Mel coming," Bosco said, pointing in the direction of the door.  
  
Charlie jumped up and ran over to her Aunt and Uncle and actually got a hug from Joey. Bosco stood up and walked over to where Jimmy and Faith were standing.  
  
"Anything?" Faith asked.  
  
"A little. She said it was a long, brown car with a light brown roof, that smelled like cigarettes inside," Bosco recited back to them. Bobby came over and asked what was going on. Bosco and Jimmy explained it to him.  
  
"Unbelievable!" Bobby said. "So, what now?"  
  
"Now we get out there and look for a long brown car with a light brown roof, that smells like cigarettes," Bosco said as the clerk walked by.  
  
"Did you say a brown car with a tan roof?" asked the clerk, stopping when he heard the officers talking.  
  
"Yeah," Faith said. "Do you know anything about it?"  
  
"Well, after the little girl came walking in and told me that she needed the paramedics because someone took her and her Mom, I walked over to the door to lock it so no one could come in if they were still looking for the girl," he explained.  
  
"As I was locking the door, I remember seeing a large, dark-colored car with a light-colored roof pull out of the motel lot. It looked like an older model Cadillac or something. I saw the first couple letters on the plate," he said, looking at everyone that was staring at him.  
  
"What were the numbers you saw and where were they in the plate number - you know, beginning, middle or end?" Bosco asked slightly excited.  
  
"Um, let's see," said the clerk as he closed his eyes trying to mentally picture the license plate.  
  
"The letters were at the front of the plate. It was a B and an F," he said. "And, I think there might have been an O or a 0 at the end of the plate. Does that help at all?" asked the clerk hopefully.  
  
"Yeah, it helps a lot," Bosco said, slapping the clerk on the back as he went over to the Commander to relay the information. 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
Pain was the first thing Kim felt as she came to. There was pain and an overwhelming urge to throw up. She opened her eyes just a bit and winced. The sun was setting right in her eyes. She immediately shut them again. She could feel the car moving but when it stopped she cautiously cracked an eye open. No sun. She opened the other and the world slowly came into focus.  
  
It wasn't the best neighborhood in New York although Kim had seen worse. There were dealers on the corner and some ladies of the evening walking the street. A few panhandlers stood by the stairs to an old building. She wondered if they lived there. She studied them for a minute, praying faintly that Joey and Charlie never ended up in that position. Then her eyes widened.  
  
"Matty?" She whispered. She looked closer. It was him. It was Bobby's little brother. She lifted her hand to the window and knocked quietly. 'Please let him hear me,' she thought. She knocked again, quietly.  
  
Then her eyes widened when she felt the car move away from the spot they'd been in. She closed her eyes in dismay and didn't see Matty's eyes focus on her and widen as he recognized the woman in the car and saw the blood smeared on the window.  
  
"Kim..?" He whispered.  
  
(#(#(#(#(#(#(#(#(  
  
Jimmy looked out the window of 55-David and sighed. It was getting dark. It was easier to hide in the dark.  
  
"Jimmy? You hungry?" Faith asked.  
  
"No. Thanks Faith. You two can stop if you want, but I'm not hungry." Jimmy said.  
  
"I'll just call in some take out. We can keep going and eat in the car." Bosco said. "I'll order you something in case you change your mind, okay?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Bosco made the order and Faith drove over towards the restaurant.  
  
*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*  
  
Bobby shut the door to Abby's bedroom quietly. She, Charlie, and RJ were all finally asleep. Joey was the only one still awake and even he was circling the drain. He was on the couch watching something on TV. Bobby covered him a little more with the blanket and then went into his bedroom where Melanie was.  
  
"Mel?"  
  
She turned her head towards him. "Hey."  
  
"How are you?" He sat on the bed beside her.  
  
"I've been better." She smiled wryly. "Mom's awake. She called while you were getting dinner."  
  
"How's she doing?"  
  
"Her head hurts but she's okay. Sully and Ty were over taking a statement when we hung up. She confirmed that it was Tony who took Charlie."  
  
"I think we already knew that."  
  
"Yeah I guess I was just holding on to some insane hope that we weren't dealing with Tony again." Melanie confessed softly.  
  
"Yeah I know." Bobby put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled into the side of him. "It's gonna be okay."  
  
"I wish I believed that."  
  
'Me too,' Bobby thought silently. He looked to the side when the phone rang. "I'll get it." He reached over and snatched up the ringing object. "Hello?"  
  
"Bobby?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"It's Matty."  
  
"Oh. Where are you?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. Look, is Kim in some kind of trouble?"  
  
"Why do you ask that?"  
  
"Because I saw her today."  
  
"Where? When?"  
  
"On Bleecker St. a couple hours ago."  
  
"What color car was she in?"  
  
"Brown."  
  
"With a tan roof?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Were they going towards the Village?"  
  
"Yeah as far as I could tell."  
  
"Matty, thanks."  
  
"Sure Bobby."  
  
"Hey-" Bobby said before he heard the dial tone.  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
"That was Matty. He saw Kim in the same car Charlie described going towards the village a couple of hours ago."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah." 


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17  
  
Bosco was just finishing up his and Jimmy's dinner when Jimmy's phone rang. He quickly fished it out of his pocket and hit the button.  
  
"Hello! Doherty," he said into the phone.  
  
"Jimmy, it's Bobby. Look, I just got a phone call from Matty. He says he saw Kim in that brown and tan car about 2 hours ago headed toward the Village from Bleecker. Are you still with Bosco and Faith?" Bobby asked him quickly.  
  
"Yeah. Hang on," Jimmy said, sitting forward in the back seat. "Bobby said his brother just called him and said he saw Kimmy in the brown car on Bleecker, heading toward the Village about 2 hours ago," Jimmy said to Bosco and Faith.  
  
"Bobby's brother? Isn't he a drug addict?" Bosco said with a frown.  
  
"Yeah, but if he convinced Bobby enough to call me, he must be on the level," Jimmy said. Faith slowed and pulled the car around to head toward the Village.  
  
"Okay, Bobby. We're gonna head in that direction. Thanks," Jimmy told him.  
  
"Sure. Do you want me to head over there too?" Bobby asked.  
  
"No, just sit tight with the kids and Melanie in case this jerk tries to come after more of the family," he advised Bobby. "How are Charlie and Joey doing?"  
  
"Charlie's asleep and Joey's just about there. He's worried, but Charlie thinks it's a big game," Bobby said. "Just as well I suppose," he thought aloud.  
  
"Okay. Tell Joey and Charlie that I love them and I'll see them soon. Thanks Bobby," Jimmy said hanging up the phone.  
  
Bosco got on the radio to advise Central of the sitting of Tony's car with Kim in it so that the patrol units could be made aware of where they might be.  
  
Faith continued on toward the Village.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Tony was parked in a vacant lot in the heart of the Village. He was trying to decide what to do with Kim. He was so tired, he couldn't think clearly. "All because of that little brat that got away," he thought to himself, making himself even angrier.  
  
He looked over at Kim who was feigning unconsciousness to avoid any more of Tony's wrath. He looked out the window of the car to see his surroundings. Maybe if he could find someplace out of the way, he could take a quick nap and then think clearer. But, it would have to be someplace safe; someplace he could keep Kim without anyone questioning him. His gaze fell upon an old, abandoned warehouse at the end of the lot. He drove the car toward the building and looked around to see if anyone was watching him.  
  
Satisfied that there was no one around, he pulled the car to the rear of the building behind an old, rusted out dumpster to keep it out of sight. He parked the car and got out. He walked around the front of the car and opened the passenger door that Kim was leaning against. She was caught off- guard and tumbled out of the car onto the cold, wet ground. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a flashlight.  
  
"Get up!" was all Tony said before he kicked her in the side to make sure she knew he meant business. "Unless you want another smack in the head," he warned her. She slowly stood up, trying to catch her breath from his latest attack.  
  
"Walk toward that door," he ordered her, sticking the gun in her side and pushing her along.  
  
"I'm going," she said, anger in her voice as her head continued to pound. At least the dizziness was subsiding, but the pain was still very there and every sound and movement magnified it.  
  
They made it to the door of the old building and Tony took another look around before pushing Kim through the old, squeaky door and into the dark building. He turned on the light and shone it around the cold, musty room.  
  
"Up there," he said, finally deciding on a hiding place on the second floor. They climbed the old, wobbly metal stairs and he pushed her down to the floor in a corner of the room. "Yeah, this'll work out just fine," he said, smiling to himself as he took in the window that would allow him to look out upon the entrance to the lot. He grabbed Kim's arm and put one side of the handcuffs on her wrist and the other end to a pipe in the corner so that she couldn't get away.  
  
"Not a sound," he warned her as he headed back down to the car to get a blanket out of the trunk so that he could take a nap.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Sully and Davis drove by the empty lot, with Davis glancing around the lot for anything suspicious and seeing nothing.  
  
"So, where would you go if you were an ex-cop with a hostage and knew that everyone was out looking for you?" Sully said out loud to his partner.  
  
"I dunno. I'd probably find a place to lay low for a while. Try to get me some new wheels and some quick cash so I could get out of Dodge," Davis answered him.  
  
"Yeah," Sully said, more to himself than to Ty. "But, where would you lay low?" he finished.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Tony had retrieved a blanket from the trunk of the car and grabbed his jacket from the back seat. The sun had set and it was getting colder. He didn't notice that his wallet had fallen out of the pocket of his coat onto the back floor of the car. He went back inside the dilapidated building after taking a final look around, satisfied that he had the perfect hiding place.  
  
He climbed the stairs and looked around the second floor, spotting an old couch in one of the offices. He pulled it out so that he could keep an eye on Kim and proceeded to make himself comfortable, leaving Kim sitting on the cold, dirty floor, shivering.  
  
"What a gentleman," Kim sneered at him and he only laughed as he adjusted his blanket and closed his eyes for a nap.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*  
  
"Stinky Steve," as the locals knew him, was just finishing up his evening of rummaging for cast-offs and handouts and was taking his usual shortcut through the empty lot in the Village where the old Hanson Warehouse stood. He noticed a car parked at the rear, behind the old dumpster that he used for shelter when it was raining. He used to sleep in abandoned buildings, but when he got caught in an arson-for-insurance fire in one and almost died, he decided that it was safer to sleep outdoors.  
  
He slowly walked over toward the car, trying to see if it was just a couple of kids parking or what. He walked up quietly, squinting in the dark as he tried to get a better look. He finally made it up to the car and looked inside to find it empty. He looked around to see if he could see anyone around. No one. He tried one of the doors and it opened. He looked around inside the car and found a stethoscope on the floor under the front passenger seat and a wallet on the floor of the back seat.  
  
"Well, looks like you hit pay dirt today Stevie Boy," he said to himself as he noticed the eighty bucks in the wallet. He read the identification - Anthony Montanero. He put the wallet and stethoscope in his pocket and made his way to the street to see if he could get himself some food and a nice bottle. If he was careful, he'd be able to eat and drink for the rest of the week, he mused to himself as he walked off. 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18~  
  
"Faith, pull over here." Bosco directed.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's as good a place as any to start looking." He said.  
  
"Fine." Faith pulled to a stop.  
  
Bosco got out of the car and then let Jimmy out. They looked up and down the street. No sign of Tony, his car, or Kim from where they were looking.  
  
"Guys?" Faith called.  
  
"What?" They turned.  
  
"Over there."  
  
"Where?" Bosco asked.  
  
"The little kids playing by the stoop under the street lamp. The boy in the red jacket has a stethoscope."  
  
Jimmy didn't wait for Bosco or Faith. He started walking towards the kids.  
  
"Jimmy, wait." Bosco put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "You can't go charging in there like John Wayne."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Cause you're not John Wayne and you're not a cop."  
  
"And if it was Faith you'd do the same thing and don't you dare try to tell me different." Jimmy said indignantly.  
  
"Admitted. But you're still not a cop. Let Faith handle this. She's better at diplomacy then you or me."  
  
"Thank you Bos." Faith smiled. She approached the kids. "Hey guys."  
  
The kids stopped playing and looked up at Faith. She conversed with them for a few minutes before they handed her the stethoscope and headed inside. She walked back over to Bosco and Jimmy.  
  
"Well?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"It says property of Cook County General Hospital in really small letters on the part you press to the body."  
  
"It's Kim's." Jimmy said. "They let her keep it when she quit to come back here."  
  
"Did they say where they got it?" Bosco asked.  
  
"Some guy was selling it. The kid bought it for five bucks."  
  
"Guy got a name."  
  
"Stinky Steve. They say he's homeless."  
  
"They say which way he went?"  
  
"That way." She pointed down the street.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
They walked a little down the road and came upon a man drinking from a bottle. Bosco made a face. Man did he smell.  
  
"You Steve?" Faith said.  
  
"Who's asking?"  
  
"I am." She smiled.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Well if you are Steve, then could you tell us where you got this?" She held up the stethoscope.  
  
"Never seen it before."  
  
"That's not what the kid you sold it to said."  
  
"Stupid kid, what do they know?" He slurred.  
  
Jimmy sighed and resisted the urge to beat it out of the guy.  
  
Bosco stepped up. "Look, either tell us what you know, and we know you know something, or we take you in on public drunkenness and suspicion of theft."  
  
"It's your choice." Faith added.  
  
"I found it in a car."  
  
"What car?" Faith asked. "Where?"  
  
"Down the street. It was brown."  
  
Bosco nodded and he, Faith, and Jimmy walked away. When they reached the lot they stayed clear of the windows of the building.  
  
"Brown with a tan roof."  
  
"License plate matches those numbers the store clerk gave Bosco." Faith said.  
  
"Central this is 55-David. We have a possible visual on the car used to abduct Kimberly and Charlotte Doherty. Requesting back up at the corner of King and Varick St. Silent backup. We don't want the sirens to spook Montanero."  
  
"10-4 David. Silent back up is enroute."  
  
"Now what?"  
  
"Now we wait." 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
  
Additional police units rolled onto the scene undetected. Bosco had given the address and name of the old building to the dispatcher who ran it through the computer database. They'd been able to find out who the current owner of the building was and he was on his way down with blueprints for the building.  
  
"Why are we just standing around out here?" asked Jimmy impatiently.  
  
"Look, Jimmy. If we go charging in there without having a pretty good idea of where he has her, there's a better than average chance that he'll get to her before we do. Besides, we don't even know if they're in there or not. He could have just dumped the car here," explained Faith.  
  
"Oh, he's in there," came a voice from behind them.  
  
The three of them turned around and were again face to face with Stinky Steve.  
  
"Look, Steve. We appreciate your help, but you need to stay back okay?" Faith said.  
  
"Wait a minute. What do you mean he's in there? How do you know for sure?" asked Bosco.  
  
"Cause I saw him go in there. He went in there with some girl," Steve said with a smirk on his face. "Lots of couples go in there - if you know what I mean," he leered.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. So you're sure he's still in there with her?" Faith said.  
  
"I think they're sleeping. I saw him come out and get a blanket out of the trunk of his car. Then I saw him looking out of that window right there," Steve said, pointing up to the second floor of the building. "They ain't been out since," he finished up. "I just wanted to give him back his wallet that I found along with that other thing," Steve said, holding out the wallet he'd taken out of Tony's car.  
  
Bosco took the wallet and opened it up. He saw Tony's identification and showed Faith and Jimmy. "It's him all right."  
  
The three looked up at the window and saw a light shining all of a sudden. They quickly moved out of sight.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Tony was awakened by the sound of a metal object falling over. He jumped up and turned on his flashlight, shining it around the room. The beam landed on Kim who was still sitting on the floor, fastened to the pipe. The sound was of her trying to break the pipe and free herself.  
  
He stood up and walked over to make sure that she was still securely fastened and, before walking away, he slapped her with the back of his hand on the side of her face. "Don't try anything stupid, bitch." Kim wouldn't give him the satisfaction of showing him how much he had hurt her. She just glared back at him.  
  
He walked over to the window and looked out, satisfied that all was quiet. He returned back to his couch and pulled the blanket around him once more. He lay there in the dark, trying to figure out what to do. 


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20-  
  
While the cops looked over the blueprints Jimmy was leaning against the wall entertaining a fantasy in which he wrapped his hands around Tony's neck and squeezed till his head popped off.  
  
"Jimmy?" Davis held out a cup of coffee.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"How ya doing?"  
  
"About as well as you'd think under the circumstances."  
  
"Yeah. Hey, what were you just thinking about?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cause you looked almost happy. Hey, if it was x-rated you don't have to tell me. I wouldn't mind if you told me, I'm just saying you don't have to."  
  
"I was picturing myself squeezing Montanero's neck till his head popped off."  
  
"Nice." Davis nodded.  
  
"I thought so." Jimmy agreed. "So what's going on over there?"  
  
"Planning. ESU has taken over. Uniforms are just here for window dressing at the moment."  
  
"Yeah, no disrespect or anything but I trust uniforms more right now."  
  
"That's cause you wear one." Davis grinned.  
  
"Must be it." Jimmy nodded. He sighed.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Kim's gonna come out of this just fine. A week from now, she'll be bringing you something you forgot at the house."  
  
Jimmy chuckled. "Right. Hey, while we're waiting go call your girl. Let her know you're okay."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cause I know women. When they know there's trouble they keep staring at the phone waiting for it to ring. Kim does it all the time when there's a fire. Mel does it too when she hears things on the news. Neither of their pulses return to normal till they hear me or Bobby on the other end."  
  
"No offense but you and Bobby married a couple of nervous women."  
  
"Just call Taylor, alright Davis? Trust me. If the company isn't out at a job she's staring at the phone."  
  
"I'll call her once we get your wife outta that building. That way I'll have some really good news to tell her."  
  
"Okay." Jimmy nodded. He looked up when he heard footsteps. "Bosco? What's up?"  
  
"We're getting ready to go in. Jimmy, I hate to tell you this, but I need you out of sight for now."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're not a cop. The boss wants you out of the line of fire."  
  
Jimmy sighed. "Okay. I'll wait out near 55-Charlie. But I'm not going any further."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Jimmy went and waited by the RMP that Davis and Sully road around in. He looked up at the sky. "Look, I know we haven't always been on the best terms and I've done a lot of things that may have made it seem like I didn't appreciate the things you've brought into my life. But I do. You gave me a son and a daughter and you gave me a second chance with their mother even though I didn't deserve one. So I'm asking you not to take her away from us. Please don't make me go home and tell our son and our little girl that they're never gonna see their mother again. Just see her through this. Let her come home."  
  
Jimmy fell silent again listening to the night. 


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21  
  
Bosco approached the Lieutenant in charge of the ESU. The man turned to look at him and before Bosco could say anything, he said, "Boscorelli. You and Yokas are going in with us. This is your collar, we're just here to make sure your guy doesn't get away."  
  
"Great. That's all I wanted to ask you. So, how're we gonna run this, Lieu?" Bosco asked him, as Sully, Davis and Faith approached.  
  
"Well, my guys'll go in first with the armor since we don't know what kind of firepower this guy has. Our main priority is the safety of the hostage - meaning if we have to take Montanero down so be it," the Lieutenant said.  
  
"We should be so lucky," Bosco remarked, causing the Lieutenant to grin.  
  
He continued, "As soon as we have the place secured, you'll take Montanero into custody and we'll get the victim to a hospital to get checked over. I'm gonna call in EMS to stand by."  
  
Ty spoke up, "I've got that covered already, Sir." The Lieutenant nodded, knowing that the hostage was one of their own.  
  
"Okay. As soon as EMS gets here, we'll do it," he said. He went back to conferring with his team and Ty took out his cell phone.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Alex answered her phone on the first ring, "Hello? Oh hi, Ty. What's up?"  
  
Ty explained the situation to her and she looked over at Doc. "We'll be there in three minutes," she advised him.  
  
"Okay, but come in silent. We don't wanna spook him," Ty advised her, hanging up the phone.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
The Lieutenant looked over and Ty indicated three minutes by holding up three fingers.  
  
"Okay, everyone take your places," the Lieutenant ordered.  
  
Everyone moved into position and as soon as they saw the ambulance pull to the curb down the road, they began to move in.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Kim was freezing. She couldn't believe how cold she was. She couldn't stop herself from shivering and Tony had yelled at her more than once thinking that the rattling of the cuffs against the pipe was her trying to escape.  
  
Finally, the last time, she spoke up before he hit her. "I'm not trying to escape! I'm freezing!" He took slight pity on her and threw his coat over her shoulders, helping to warm her slightly. Although, she just thought it was because he was sick of hearing the metal rattle. He must have resigned himself to the fact that she wasn't able to get away and tuned out the rattling of the cuffs against the pipe because he was soon sound asleep by the sounds of the deep, rhythmic breathing.  
  
Due to the concussion she must have suffered at his hands, her head continued to pound and prevented her from getting any sleep of her own.  
  
She could only sit in the corner on the cold floor and think. The tears started again as she wondered if Charlie had made it to safety to tell the police that Tony had her. She tried to look for her as Tony drove the car out of the motel parking lot and didn't see her anywhere. She was again second-guessing her decision to get her away from Tony. "At least I know she'd be with me," she thought to herself hoping that she hadn't made the wrong decision. The next minute she'd be telling herself what a strong kid Charlie was. How she wouldn't tolerate any abuse from anyone - she'd fight back. And so her emotions went back and forth between despair and hope.  
  
She thought she heard a car door close outside the building and looked over at Tony to see if he'd heard it also. He didn't move, his breathing unchanged. "I must have imagined it," she thought to herself. Then she thought she heard a noise on the floor below them and strained her eyes in the dark, trying to see down the stairwell, but it was too dark. She listened for a moment, hearing no further noise.  
  
"Keep it together, Zambrano," she told herself.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*  
  
ESU had approached the door to the warehouse and found it unlocked. They quickly greased the hinges to avoid any excessive squeaking from the rusty door as they entered the building silently, with night-vision equipment.  
  
They slowly made their way through the first floor, making sure that there was no surprises waiting for them. They found none. They started to climb the stairs and made it to the top. The man at the top of the stairs stopped short, halting the men behind him, including the patrol officers.  
  
He took a moment to be sure of what he saw and, sure enough, he noticed a woman sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, cuffed to the metal pipe in the corner.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Kim sensed movement out of the corner of her eye and took in a sharp breath, immediately berating herself for taking a chance on waking up Montanero.  
  
After a moment, her eyes adjusted and she saw the man in the protective equipment she recognized as ESU. She immediately knew that the "cavalry" had arrived. "Charlie, my sweet baby girl. I knew I could count on you," she thought to herself, a sense of relief coming over her.  
  
The officer put a finger up to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. She nodded her understanding and nodded her head in the direction of Tony. The officer nodded his understanding and turned to make a sign to the others as to where the suspect was.  
  
The lead officer headed into the room without a noise and looked over to see a sleeping Tony on the couch. Three more officers followed him into the room, just as silent as the first and they positioned themselves between Tony and Kim, blocking her view of what was going on.  
  
Everyone stayed very still for a moment to make sure that he did not awaken. After a moment of looking around the room and taking stock of what appeared to be the only weapon that Tony had, Bosco and Faith received the order to move into the room to take the prisoner into custody.  
  
Bosco and Faith silently walked up to Tony, weapons drawn. Bosco held his gun close to Tony's face, his flashlight alongside his gun in the other hand. At the same moment that Bosco cocked his weapon, he pushed the button on the flashlight so that it shown directly in Tony's face.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Tony was sleeping soundly and suddenly heard a familiar sound. He heard the click of a weapon being cocked and immediately felt the light in his face. He knew that he was surrounded with nowhere to go and slowly opened his eyes, unable to see who the officer was immediately in front of him.  
  
Bosco and Faith noticed Tony tense up and waited for him to try to make an escape.  
  
"Go ahead, asshole. Give me and ESU an excuse to blow you away," Bosco said from behind the light beam. Had he been able to see past Bosco's light, he'd have seen four officers with weapons aimed at him. But, being a former cop, he knew what would be behind Bosco.  
  
Kim let out a sigh of relief at the familiar voice of Bosco.  
  
Tony slowly took his hand off the weapon at his side and raised his hands indicating his surrender.  
  
Bosco roughly pulled him off the couch onto the floor. Faith kept the suspect covered with her weapon while Bosco cuffed his hands behind his back and checked him for any further weapons. Bosco looked over at Kim to assure himself that she was okay and gave her a wink and a smile. Montanero was then roughly pulled to a standing position and led down the stairs by Bosco and another member of ESU.  
  
Faith turned her attention to Kim who was shaking uncontrollably now. She reached down with her handcuff keys and freed her from the pipe. She grabbed the blanket that Tony had been using and put it and her arm around Kim, trying to calm her down.  
  
"Charlie? Is Charlie okay?" she asked Faith.  
  
"Charlie's fine, Kim. She's with Melanie and Bobby. Everyone's fine now. There's someone waiting anxiously for you outside," Faith told her. Into her radio, Faith said, "Advise EMS I'm bringing her out. She appears okay, but a little banged up." Faith stood Kim up and helped her to walk down the stairs and out the door to the waiting stretcher and her husband. 


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue-  
  
Jimmy looked up when he saw two figures emerge from the building. The other was supporting one. When they came closer he recognized Faith and Kim.  
  
"Thank God." He breathed. He stayed behind police lines, knowing that the Lieu would bite his head off if he got closer.  
  
Doc and Alex quickly approached Kim and Faith and relieved the cop of crutch duty.  
  
"How ya doing Kim?" Alex asked her friend.  
  
"My head is killing me." She groaned.  
  
"We'll see what we can do about that." Doc told her as they got her onto a stretcher. He looked over at Jimmy and motioned for him to come closer. "Someone here to see you," he said to Kim.  
  
"Is he tall, dark, and handsome?" Kim smiled.  
  
"No. Ty's over talking to Sully." Alex kidded.  
  
"Funny Taylor." Jimmy said as he took a spot at Kim's side. He picked Kim's hand up and looked at her. "How ya feeling?"  
  
"I think Melanie's doing Thanksgiving next week." She smiled.  
  
"You guys can come to the house. I think Doc's making it this year." He brushed some of the hair out of her face.  
  
"I wanna see the kids."  
  
"I'll call Bobby and Mel. They'll bring 'em to the hospital."  
  
"You riding with us?" Alex asked.  
  
"Absolutely." He said.  
  
Alex and Doc loaded Kim into the back and then Jimmy climbed in. Faith shut the doors behind them and gave them a knock to let the driver know that they were secure and the rig took off for the hospital.  
  
"Hell of a day." Bosco said as he walked up next to her.  
  
"You said it."  
  
"But it had a good ending."  
  
"Yeah it did."  
  
Bosco looked over at where Tony was sitting in the back of their RMP. "How many times should we waffle that guy?"  
  
"Oh seven at least." Faith smiled.  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
"I'll buy you breakfast after we sign out."  
  
"Sounds good to me." Bosco smiled.  
  
(#(#(#(#(#(#(  
  
"Jimmy!" Melanie called when she, Bobby, and the kids, minus R.J., arrived in the crowded ER. "Where is she?"  
  
"The doctor sent her up for some x-rays. She's got a pretty nasty bump on the head courtesy of Tony." He said taking Charlie from Bobbie. "Where's R.J.?"  
  
"My mom's." Bobby said. "She sends her love."  
  
"Speaking of moms, Mel, you should go tell your mom the news. I haven't had a chance to get up there yet."  
  
"No problem. Bobby, you got Abby?"  
  
"Yeah, we're good. Right Abby?"  
  
Abby nodded sleepily.  
  
"I'll be back soon." Melanie said.  
  
"Dad?" Joey said.  
  
"Yeah buddy?"  
  
"Is Mom okay?"  
  
"Yeah, she's gonna be fine."  
  
Bobby was looking around them. "What? Did everyone from the house come down?"  
  
"Pretty much." He caught sight of Mary Proctor waving at him. "I'm gonna go see what she wants." He looked around. "Hey, D.K.?"  
  
"Yeah?" The firefighter stopped as he passed by.  
  
"Can you keep an eye on her till Mel gets back and can help Bobby?"  
  
"Sure." D.K. took the little girl. "Hey there Charlie."  
  
"I'll be back." Jimmy told Bobby.  
  
Jimmy made his way over to Mary. "What's up?"  
  
"Kim's back from CT if you wanna go in and see her."  
  
"Thanks." He went back toward the exam rooms and poked his head in. "Mind if I come in?"  
  
"Not at all Mr. Doherty." The doctor stitching Kim's head up said. "Just about done. Her films should be back soon. Depending on what we see we may want to keep her over night."  
  
Jimmy nodded. "Well I guess it's a chair for a bed for me tonight."  
  
"You don't have to stay." Kim protested.  
  
"Yes I do." Jimmy said with a grin. "Bobby's out in the waiting room with the kids. You want me to go get them?"  
  
"Yeah. Where's Mel?"  
  
"She went up to see your mom."  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"She's fine. Lucky hard heads run in your family, huh?" Jimmy kidded her.  
  
"Haha." Kim grinned.  
  
"Mom!" Joey said excitedly as he came in followed by Bobby and Charlie.  
  
"Hey sweetie." She said accepting a hug from him. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Are you?"  
  
"I'm fine sweetie." Kim smiled. Then she looked at Charlie. "Hey honey. How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm okay Mommy, just tired." She said leaning her head on Bobby's shoulder.  
  
"Can I have a hug or are you too sleepy?"  
  
"Hug." Charlie said firmly. "Let me down Uncle Bobby."  
  
"Yes ma'am." Bobby said and set the little girl down. "We'll see you guys in a few." He left to let the little family have some time together.  
  
^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^  
  
Two weeks later-  
  
"Hi Dad." Joey said as he passed by the TV room of the firehouse.  
  
"Hi Daddy." Charlie called as she followed her brother.  
  
"Hi Uncle Jimmy." Abby said following her cousins. "Where's Daddy?"  
  
"Kitchen. Hi Jimmy." Kim said passing by.  
  
"Hey Jimmy." Melanie called as she walked by carrying R.J.  
  
Jimmy got out of his chair confused. "What are you guys doing here?" He asked as he followed them into the kitchen. "And what are you carrying?"  
  
"Dinner." Kim smiled. "Mel did you remember the peas?"  
  
"Check Joey's bag."  
  
"Doc's in charge of dinner." Jimmy said.  
  
"He's doing the turkey." Melanie said.  
  
"And to give him a break, we're doing everything else. Well except the pies. Ma and Mrs. Caffey are bringing those by."  
  
"Uh, okay. Kim, are you sure you're up to this?"  
  
"I think I proved last night-"  
  
"Children in the room." Bobby said.  
  
"Anyone sleeping?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Upstairs." Kim said as she turned and marched up the stairs. Jimmy followed. She turned when he reached the top of the stairs. "Okay, honey I really appreciate this and everything but I'm fine. I had a concussion, I wasn't broken."  
  
"Kim, I just want to make sure you're okay. That you're not overdoing it. I almost lost you. I think I'm entitled to a little paranoia."  
  
"A little yes but Jimmy, this is taking it to extremes. I start back to work tomorrow, what are you going to do then? Follow me around?"  
  
"Of course not but since you are going back to work-" Jimmy broke off when saw Kim's expression. "I'm not gonna win this one, am I?"  
  
"No." Kim smiled. She took Jimmy's hands in hers. "I am okay. I am alive. I am here and I intend to stay for a very long time. When it comes down to it Doherty, we're going out in a blaze of glory."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Oh yeah." 


End file.
